Social Disadvantage and Education
There is a link between socio-economic disadvantage and educational outcomes. Education has transformative qualities, offering better life opportunities to individuals who succeed. The education system and teachers need to give all students the best possibilities to succeed and develop towards reaching their potential.
Students in schools around Australia are facing adversity due to socio-economic disadvantage in their home lives. Cobbold (2011) argues inequality and injustice are present in Australian schools today. While advantaged schools are being heavily funded the poorest schools are lagging far behind their counterparts. This is a systematic problem, which teachers in poorer schools are bearing the brunt of. Government statistics demonstrate a close correlation between the socio-economic status of a school and its literacy and numeracy standing (Cobbold, 2011). One of the benefits of NAPLAN is highlighting these socially unjust variables- doing something about it requires change. In the current environment the wants of the richest people in Australia are being put ahead of the needs of the disadvantaged.
The NSW and Australian Governments formed three Smarter schools National Partnership Agreements in 2008 to improve teacher quality , literacy and numeracy and low-socio-economic (SES) school communities. For more see the following document.
For more information visit view the Low-Socionomic Status School Communities National Partnership document at
www.psp.nsw.edu.au/
Teacher’s Role
Dyson (2011) believes systematic societal and educational restraints make providing equity to disadvantaged students difficult. There is a direct relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and students’ family, community and wider social context (Dyson, 2011). Research suggests student education outcomes are shaped by external factors including students’ family and community socio-economic status and social class (Wilkinson & Picket, 2009 in Dyson, 2011). The education system, therefore, is unable to solely provide the measures to overcome the effects of disadvantage. The problems associated with providing fair education can only be addressed through ‘full service schools’ (Dryfoos, 1994 in Dyson, 2011) tackling issues at multiple levels. Schools and teachers can only do their best to promote thriving communities and societies by looking beyond the dysfunctional services an family hardships that produce inequality to meet the needs of individual students, as research suggests extra resources are needed to combat the effects of high poverty (Comber & Hill, 2000).
Kalmer and Comber (2005) propose educators pedagogies need to transition to view socially marginalised students and their families in a different way. In their research histories of failure and disengagement were turned around by teachers shifting their pedagogies and curriculum to reconnect with students. Teachers need to view problems students encounter in relation to the structure and design of the curriculum and pedagogy, rather than blame the individual. Balancing teacher’s expertise with student strengths and interests incorporates students’ everyday activities and translates them into school success. Communicating with parents and carers gives a teacher insight into privileges and disadvantages of families’ lives. Being aware of at risk students and utilising cultural resources from outside the classroom can benefit all students in a class. In my classroom I will use technology and popular culture to engage, excite, and inform students while they learn, which motivates students to take pride in their work and creates more meaningful learning experiences.
Knowledge is the key to a successful life in today’s society. Teachers are the providers of knowledge and fundamentally aim to develop each student to reach his/her potential. Educators failing students is the education system failing. Through schools teachers must develop ways of reaching all students, especially the socially marginalised population who enter the system with less social, cultural and symbolic capital than their privileged peers. External factors including rurality, gender, poverty and ethnicity are combining with internal subjectivities to develop individuals’ identities and reproduce inequality in the socially marginalised population. Education is the platform for equality to be produced. Equality can be achieved by teachers providing equity to marginalised students and relating pedagogy and curriculum to their lives and experiences.
References:
Cobbold, T (2011), Inequality, disadvantage and education outcomes. D!ssent,Issue 36, pp. 32-35.
Comber, B & Hill, S (2000), Socio-economic disadvantage, literacy and social justice: learning from longitudinal case study research. Australian Educational Researcher, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 79-97.
Dyson, A (2011), Full service and extended schools, disadvantage, and social justice. Cambridge Journal of Education, vol.42, no.2, pp. 177-193.
Comber, B & Kalmer, B (2004), ‘Getting out of deficit: Pedagogies of reconnection’. Teaching Education, vol.15, no. 3, pp. 293-310.
Students in schools around Australia are facing adversity due to socio-economic disadvantage in their home lives. Cobbold (2011) argues inequality and injustice are present in Australian schools today. While advantaged schools are being heavily funded the poorest schools are lagging far behind their counterparts. This is a systematic problem, which teachers in poorer schools are bearing the brunt of. Government statistics demonstrate a close correlation between the socio-economic status of a school and its literacy and numeracy standing (Cobbold, 2011). One of the benefits of NAPLAN is highlighting these socially unjust variables- doing something about it requires change. In the current environment the wants of the richest people in Australia are being put ahead of the needs of the disadvantaged.
The NSW and Australian Governments formed three Smarter schools National Partnership Agreements in 2008 to improve teacher quality , literacy and numeracy and low-socio-economic (SES) school communities. For more see the following document.
For more information visit view the Low-Socionomic Status School Communities National Partnership document at
www.psp.nsw.edu.au/
Teacher’s Role
Dyson (2011) believes systematic societal and educational restraints make providing equity to disadvantaged students difficult. There is a direct relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and students’ family, community and wider social context (Dyson, 2011). Research suggests student education outcomes are shaped by external factors including students’ family and community socio-economic status and social class (Wilkinson & Picket, 2009 in Dyson, 2011). The education system, therefore, is unable to solely provide the measures to overcome the effects of disadvantage. The problems associated with providing fair education can only be addressed through ‘full service schools’ (Dryfoos, 1994 in Dyson, 2011) tackling issues at multiple levels. Schools and teachers can only do their best to promote thriving communities and societies by looking beyond the dysfunctional services an family hardships that produce inequality to meet the needs of individual students, as research suggests extra resources are needed to combat the effects of high poverty (Comber & Hill, 2000).
Kalmer and Comber (2005) propose educators pedagogies need to transition to view socially marginalised students and their families in a different way. In their research histories of failure and disengagement were turned around by teachers shifting their pedagogies and curriculum to reconnect with students. Teachers need to view problems students encounter in relation to the structure and design of the curriculum and pedagogy, rather than blame the individual. Balancing teacher’s expertise with student strengths and interests incorporates students’ everyday activities and translates them into school success. Communicating with parents and carers gives a teacher insight into privileges and disadvantages of families’ lives. Being aware of at risk students and utilising cultural resources from outside the classroom can benefit all students in a class. In my classroom I will use technology and popular culture to engage, excite, and inform students while they learn, which motivates students to take pride in their work and creates more meaningful learning experiences.
Knowledge is the key to a successful life in today’s society. Teachers are the providers of knowledge and fundamentally aim to develop each student to reach his/her potential. Educators failing students is the education system failing. Through schools teachers must develop ways of reaching all students, especially the socially marginalised population who enter the system with less social, cultural and symbolic capital than their privileged peers. External factors including rurality, gender, poverty and ethnicity are combining with internal subjectivities to develop individuals’ identities and reproduce inequality in the socially marginalised population. Education is the platform for equality to be produced. Equality can be achieved by teachers providing equity to marginalised students and relating pedagogy and curriculum to their lives and experiences.
References:
Cobbold, T (2011), Inequality, disadvantage and education outcomes. D!ssent,Issue 36, pp. 32-35.
Comber, B & Hill, S (2000), Socio-economic disadvantage, literacy and social justice: learning from longitudinal case study research. Australian Educational Researcher, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 79-97.
Dyson, A (2011), Full service and extended schools, disadvantage, and social justice. Cambridge Journal of Education, vol.42, no.2, pp. 177-193.
Comber, B & Kalmer, B (2004), ‘Getting out of deficit: Pedagogies of reconnection’. Teaching Education, vol.15, no. 3, pp. 293-310.